2000
#61,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Dabdoub
An Arabic surname meaning "the little drummer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 456 Americans carry the last name Dabdoub. That puts it at #55,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 751,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dabdoub surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
456
1 in 751,654
Census rank
#55,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
398
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 398 bearers of the surname Dabdoub in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabdoub, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dabdoub
The surname Dabdoub has its origins in the Middle East, specifically Lebanon and Syria. It is an Arabic name that dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Arabic word "dabdoub," which means "drum" or "drummer." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who played drums or was involved in music.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dabdoub can be found in historical documents from the city of Tripoli, Lebanon, during the Mamluk period (1250-1517). These documents mention a family with the name Dabdoub, who were likely involved in the city's vibrant cultural and musical scene at the time.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Dabdoub appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Levantine region, including Syria and Lebanon. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Yusuf Dabdoub (1558-1631), a renowned musician and composer from Damascus, who was known for his contributions to the development of Arabic classical music.
2. Salma Dabdoub (1612-1689), a poet and scholar from Beirut, who wrote extensively on the themes of love, philosophy, and spirituality.
3. Ahmad Dabdoub (1725-1798), a merchant and landowner from Aleppo, who played a significant role in the city's trade and economy during the Ottoman period.
The surname Dabdoub is also associated with certain place names in Lebanon and Syria, such as the village of Dabdoub in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, and the town of Dabdoub in the Hama Governorate of Syria. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or from individuals who bore the name and were associated with those locations.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several notable individuals with the surname Dabdoub made their mark in various fields:
4. Khalil Dabdoub (1835-1911), a political activist and writer from Beirut, who advocated for Lebanese independence and social reforms.
5. Salim Dabdoub (1870-1942), an architect and engineer from Damascus, who designed numerous landmarks and buildings in Syria and the broader Middle East region.
The surname Dabdoub continues to be found among Lebanese and Syrian communities around the world, reflecting the diaspora and migration patterns of these populations over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dabdoub
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabdoub, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dabdoub bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dabdoub surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino43.2% · 172
- Two or more races2.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dabdoub
Dabdoub appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#57,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
+52 bearers (+17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 4,483 places
2020
#55,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
+43 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 1,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,855 | 303 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,372 | 355 | 0.12 | +52 bearers (+17.2%) | Up 4,483 places |
| 2020 | #55,632 | 398 | 0.13 | +43 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 1,740 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dabdoub surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #57,372 | #55,632 | 3.0% |
| Count | 355 | 398 | 12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dabdoub bearers went from 355 to 398 (+12.1% change). The surname moved up 1,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,372 to #55,632.
FAQ
Dabdoub surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dabdoub?
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the surname Dabdoub. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 751,654 residents.
How common is Dabdoub?
Dabdoub ranks #55,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 398 people with the surname Dabdoub. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dabdoub.
Has Dabdoub become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dabdoub went from 355 recorded bearers to 398. That is an increase of 43 (+12.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,372 to #55,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Dabdoub?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabdoub, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dabdoub in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (205 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dabdoub appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.5%), Hispanic (43.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dabdoub (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dabdoub mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "the little drummer." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dabdoub (0.13 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Dabdoub?
See how many Americans have the surname Dabdoub on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.